An object of the present invention is to improve on commonly-used electrical outlet box mounting means and more specifically to improve on the type mounting means shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,135,337 and 4,399,922, particularly for mounting a 4-11/16" box for which there is presently no adequate bracket. The present invention furthermore seeks to reduce time and labor requirements for installation of electrical outlet boxes and while so doing provide a mounting bracket which affords a relatively wide range of adjustability.
Outlet boxes in many instances, when mounted under prior art practices, are not in the proper angular relationship with the studs or other elements involved in the mounting arrangement. While the present invention is illustrated in the drawings herein as being adapted for use in walls, it is to be understood that the invention mounting means is applicable for securing such electrical outlet boxes, and the like, on ceilings, plaster or dry wall, where there may be no studs.
The preferred method for installing an outlet box is to mount the outlet box on a bracket secured to the stud rather than mounting the outlet box on the stud itself. In this preferred method, it is desirable to first install the bracket and then the outlet box. After these operations are completed and appropriate knock-out discs removed, it is then desirable to next secure the pipe or cable, then pull the wire, make up the wirings, joints, and splices and finally secure the dry wall ring to the bracket and box. Experience on the job dictates the described procedure as being effective to save both time and expense.
The bracket described in applicants prior art Pat. No. 4,135,337 provided a significant improvement over previously-available, box-mounting devices, particularly for the conventional four-inch square size outlet box. However, disadvantages existed which hampered the complete acceptance of the bracket of Pat. No. 4,135,337 when applied to the large 4-11/16 inch square size boxes. For the larger size boxes, it was found necessary to remove all of the outlet box mounting screws in order to attach the box to its mounting bracket after the bracket had been attached to the stud. The necessity to remove the box mounting screws arose irrespective of how the outlet box screw tabs were oriented with respect to the bracket. Another disadvantage resided in the fact that the bracket allowed no horizontal or vertical adjustment of the mounting screws with respect to the bracket. As another aspect of the prior art, the bracket described in Pat. No. 4,135,337 provided an offset only on the side of the bracket attached to the stud so as to offset the dry wall ring and thus reduce bulging of the finished dry wall plaster. However, this single offset arrangement has not been found completely satisfactory and a need has arisen to improve the manner in which the dry wall ring is offset on the bracket so as to provide further improvements in the reduction of the bulging of the finished dry wall or plaster.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,922 attempted to overcome some of the inconveniences of applicant's Pat. No. 4,135,337. However, the outlet mounting arrangement of Pat. No. 4,399,922 provided no vertical or horizontal adjustment of the outlet box in relation to the bracket and also required that the dry wall ring be attached before mounting the bracket. Thus, the working space within the outlet box becomes substantially restricted.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that a further improved mounting bracket for a large size box would be desirable. Even more desirable would be an improved mounting bracket which could be sized to fit either the standard large size box or the standard small size box and typical non-standard dry wall rings. More specifically, it becomes evident that there is a need for an improved mounting bracket which would allow an outlet box to be attached to its mounting bracket without having to remove all of the mounting screws, which would provide both vertical and horizontal adjustment of the outlet box with respect to the bracket, which would allow a maximum opening for wiring operations prior to final assembly of the dry wall ring, which would not require that the dry wall ring be assembled to the bracket before wiring the outlet box and finally which would provide improvements in the offset needed to eliminate bulging of the finished dry wall or plaster. The obtaining of these as well as other desirable features in an improved outlet mounting assembly thus becomes the object of the invention which along with other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.